Refrigerator door basket



March 23, 1937. E; SWEDMAN 2,074,433

7 REFRIGERATOR DOOR BASKET Filed April 14, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l V53 li-- x z; //JZ I J 2% 10 21, 1Q 22 z i L/ia '3 f p March 23, 1937. E. SWEDMAN REFRIGERATOR DOOR BASKET I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 14, 1934 Patented Mar. v 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE REFRIGERATOR DOOR BASKET Application April 14,

3 ClaimS.;

This invention relates to a refrigerator door basket wherein a removable basket means is pro-. vided attached to the door of the refrigerator so that the basket may be removed or several baskets 5 may be carried by a single door.

A feature resides in providing a refrigerator door basket of a removable character so that it may be removed at any time it is desired.

It is also a feature to provide a refrigerator door basket which may be readily attached to the inner surface of any refrigerator door with the basket projecting into the refrigerator compartment and-the body of the basket having an open nature'so that the air may pass freely therethrough. Thus articles may be placed within the door basket and maintained in the refrigerator chamber to preserve the same.

The refrigerator door basket may'be formed in any desired shape and size and it is desirable that the body of the same be made up of a series of interconnecting wire members which are attached to a suitable binding frame. The frame is adapted to support slotted ears which fit over lugs projecting from the inner surface of the refrigerator door in one form to support the re-- frigerator door basket removablefrom the inner surface of the door.

The refrigerator door may be constructed to provide suitable slots or recesses formed in the lining of the door panel, while the basket is formed with hook means which engage into the slots to hold the basket removably attached to the inner surface of the refrigerator door. In this construction when the refrigerator door basket is removed there are no projecting lugs or portions on the panel or facing of the refrigerator door. This provides a construction wherein the inner surface of the refrigerator door is smooth and may readily be cleaned without interference with projecting lugs. The slots to support the door basket in this construction may be of any suitable character.

While refrigerators have been made to provide a recess formed into the door for supporting articles in the door body, it has been the general practice in refrigerator constructions of this character to bulge the outer surface of the door outward, making an. objectionable appearing refrigerator from the outside. This invention is designed to overcome this undesirable structure and to provide a refrigerator construction wherein the door baskets may be readily attached or disengaged, making it easy to keep the inner surface of 'the door clean and to provide one or more baskets as may be desired for the respective re- 1934, Serial No. 720,577

frigerators. With this refrigerator door basket a free circulation in the refrigerating compartment is directed to the contents of a refrigerator door basket.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a refrigerator door from the inside. showing the refrigerator door baskets attached thereto.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a perspective of one of the refrigerator door baskets.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional detail of another form of the refrigerator door basket.

Figure 5 is a side sectional elevation of the refrigerator door basket illustrated in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of basket.

The refrigerator door basket A is formed of a series of fiat bar wire members II) which are held spaced apart and bent at H to form the shape of the bottom of the basket, while the ends are spotwelded at l2 and I3, respectively, to the frame wire Hi.

The frame wire of the basket A is bent to form the inwardly projecting bracket ends IS on either end which are adapted; to support the bracket plates IS. The plates 16 are formed with slots l'l which fit over the projecting lugs IS. The

. lugs i8 are formed with a suitable shoulder head tion 2| which forms the upper outer rail of the basket A and which extends approximately parallel to the face 20 of the refrigerator door B. This is the portion to which the ends I2 are secured. The lower rail 22 of the frame l4 of the basket A is formed to extend parallel to the surface 20 but is spaced only a short distance to provide the air space 23 along the lower bottom edge of the basket A.

The flat bar wire members l0 may be equally spaced apart as indicated so as to provide the supporting bars 24 for the basket A so that articles may be carried within the basket.

At the ends of the basket A a pair of bars 24 are secured with their lower ends attached at 25 to one of the bars II] as indicated in Figures 3 and 4. These end bars 24 close the ends of the frame of the basket A with the bars 24 spaced sufficiently apart to provide a free air space through the ends of the basket A.

The inner face plate 20 of the refrigerator door B may be provided with recesses 26 closed by the cup 21 on the inside of the plate 20 and formed with-an entrance slot 28. In this form the basket A is provided with hooks 29 which engage through the slot 28 to hold the basket A attached to the refrigerator door B. Further, in this construction the basket A may be removed by raising the'same to release the hooks 29 out of the slots 28, leaving no projection from the inner sheathing plate 20 of the refrigerator door B like the lugs l8. This construction may be preferred and it simply shows another means of attaching the basket A other than that of the bracket plates l6 and the lugs l8.

These refrigerator door baskets are very desirable owing to their simple character which permits them to be easily and readily attached to any refrigerator without changing the general construction of the refrigerator or the refrigerator door which carries the same. They have a further advantage in that they are readily removable at any time for cleaning the refrigerator. The removable feature is also an advantage because it permits one or more of the baskets A to be attached to the refrigerator door.

In Figure 1 two baskets A are shown attached to the door B. The figure also shows the lugs i8 below the attached baskets A where another basket may be attached. In Figure l at the upper portion of the door A, slots 28 are illustrated to show the attaching means for thehooks 29. The refrigerator door baskets are adapted to hold articles within the same with the free passage of air through and about the same as they extend into the refrigerating chamber. The baskets may be of the desired width and may vary in accordance with the requirement of the articles. that are to be supported within the same.

Figure 6 illustrates a modified form of basket A which is formed of sheet metal 30, preferably provided with a porcelain or enamelled surface to blend with the finish of the refrigerator. Attaching bracket plates 3|, similar to the plates l6, and similarly slotted, are secured at either end of the basket A by means of which the hasket may be secured to the door B of the refrigerator. The edge 32 of the basket A may be recessed slightly, if desired, to space this edge from the surface of the door B.

The advantage of these removable baskets will be quite apparent when it is considered that the refrigerator may be supplied with or without them without materially changing the door structure and maintaining the outer appearance of the refrigerator.

I claim:

i. A refrigerator door basket including. a ho portion formed of a wire frame, bracket ends adapted to lie closely adjacent the inner surface of-a refrigerator door, bracket attaching means carried by said ends, an upper wire rail on said bracket ends spaced approximately parallel from the door to which the basket is adapted to be attached, a lower rail on said bracket ends spaced at a lesser distance than said upper rail from and extending parallel to the inner surface of a.

refrigerator door, and a series of bar members spaced apart and having their ends secured to said rails to provide the basket body portion of the same.

2. A refrigerator door basket comprising, an integral wire frame having upper and .lower rails, bracket ends formed in said frame, adapted to extend closely adjacent the inner portion of a refrigerator door, said lower rail bent to be spaced slightly from said refrigerator door, said upper rail bent to extend at a greater distance than said lower rail from said bracket ends, bars attached and approximately equally spaced from each other to said upper and lower rails, end bars having their top attached to the top rail and the bottom to one of said other bars, and attaching brackets mounted on said bracket ends for removably securing said basket to the inner portion of a refrigerator door.

3. A refrigerator door basket comprising an open wire frame formed of a series of bar members approximately equally spaced apart, an integral wire frame connecting the ends of said bar members having a lower rail portion and an upper rail portion, bracket ends formed in said frame, attaching means on said bracket ends for detachably supporting said basket to a refrigerator door, said upper and lower rails being unequally spaced from and extending parallel to the inner face of the refrigerator door when the basket is attached-thereto.

ENOCH SWEDMAN. 

